The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government which faces a floor test to prove its majority in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly on Saturday, is confident of passing the test easily. The MVA government will move the trust motion in the assembly at 2 pm.
According to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders, the coalition is likely to get 165 to 170 votes in the floor test.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the NCP have settled their dispute over Assembly Speaker’s post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi will field Nana Patole of the Congress as its candidate for the Speaker post for which election will be held on Sunday. Patole is an MLA from Sakoli constituency in Nagpur district.
The Opposition BJP likely to field Kisan Kathore as its candidate for the post of the Speaker.
Kathore was elected from Murbad constituency in Thane district
NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the coalition will get over 165 votes. “We will get over 165 votes in the confidence motion today,” Bhujbal said hours before the floor test at Vidhan Bhavan.
Senior leader Ajit Pawar said they have decided to show the proceedings of the house live. “Everyone will see today, as the voting is live telecast, who I am standing with, and who I support,” Pawar said. He also said the trust vote will be down through head count on the floor of the assembly to keep the procedure transparent. “Since it will be live telecast, people will come to know whom the legislators are voting for,” Pawar said.
On Friday, he had said that they will get around 170 votes during the floor test. “We have more numbers than what is needed to pass the floor test. It will go up to 170 votes,” he said. A party needs 145 votes to prove its majority in the 288-member state Assembly.
NCP legislative party leader Jayant Patil will issue a whip at noon, directing all the legislators to support the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The MVA has already selected former speaker Dilip Walse Patil as the new pro-tem speaker for the confidence motion.
Before that, senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his Silver Oak residence in the morning.
